No need for study
Mr. Pradeepta Chowdhury is exactly correct in his Feb. 15 letter (Your Views, Tribune-Herald) about an alternate road for Puna. There is no need for a study to determine what is glaringly obvious!
Puna needs an alternate road, and Railroad Avenue is the only logical route. Such a road has been in the Puna Community Plan for decades.
The fastest-growing and most underserved community in the state has long been harmed by the fact that the only road in and out is also the state’s deadliest road and has the most unnecessary traffic delays. The constant delays are not merely inconvenience. They are health hazards, degrade the quality of life, and hinder not only commuting but emergency response.
When a fatal accident closes the only road for hours, it’s a serious situation with no hospital, harbor, college or airport on the Puna side of the blockage.
Rep. Greggor Ilagan is correct to identify PMAR (Puna Makai Alternate Road) as the highest priority in his district. The only use for a study is to address the bureaucratic inertia that has prevented action for so long.
But another “study” is not needed, in reality. What’s needed is the road, as soon as possible.
Studies of this sort mostly serve to imitate action while delaying any real progress. Instead of a study, build the road for the public good. Doing a study instead of a road means another decade of intolerable delays.
Shipman Estates and each neighborhood along the way have legitimate concerns which can be addressed. The benefits of PMAR will greatly outweigh such concerns, and none of those concerns match the community’s urgent need for an alternate road.
Russell E. Ruderman
Keaau
EV calculator
Thank you for the front-page article, “Isle transition to EVs slow” (Tribune-Herald, Feb. 14).
Regarding the cost-effectiveness comparison between EVs and gasoline cars, there is a free online calculator at https://chooseev.com/savings-calculator/.
Put in the make/model of the EV you may be considering and the make/model of the gas/diesel vehicle you are presently driving.
Enter the local price at the pump and the cost per kilowatt hour of your home electricity from the Hawaiian Electric bill, and up comes the estimated dollar saving per month of driving electric, based on the number of miles per year you drive.
Also, Hawaiian Electric may have a home EV charging program that could work for greater savings.
In Hawaii, with our year-round warm weather, the cost savings will likely be greater than the calculator estimates. And, if you drive conservatively using regenerative braking, your results likely will be even more impressive.
I greatly enjoy the fun, the efficiency and the dollar savings of my Kia Niro EV, not to mention the health benefits of clean air and the environmental benefits compared to burning gas or diesel.
Ron Reilly
Volcano
‘Joyful concert’
“When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills” (Chinese proverb).
With all the ups and downs we are surrounded by, Hilo was blessed with a joyful concert Feb. 12 by the Hawaii County Band.
They blessed us with music of memories, joyful sounds and sincerity of music.
Mahalo, sincerely, for sharing your gifts of life. Mahalo, each and every one of you.
Lynise L. Tarring
Hilo